Leinster edge past the Ospreys in tight encounter

A spectacular try from Luke Fitzgerald and two Isa Nacewa drop goals guided the defending champions to a second successive victory after a titanic battle with the Ospreys at the RDS.

Michael Cheika will have plenty to mull over before Munster come to the RDS next Sunday week. A win despite commanding just 40% of the possession can be looked on favorably or with horror, but a much vaunted Leinster side continues to look patchy and make elementary mistakes. 

On the positive side, the try was a piece of unequeled beauty. The up-and-under from Nacewa was perfectly timed, but the interchange between Contepomi and Fitzgerald absolutly shredded the Ospreys cover. Three passes were enough to send Fitzgerald under the posts.

The defense will be another area of pleasure for Cheika. Kurk McQuilkan did great work here last season, and the players seem to be buying into his philosophy. For large portions of the game, the Ospreys threw everything at the Leinster line, but were brilliantly repelled until the final excahanges.

Leinster were also indebted to a strong bench that helped turn a murky situation into four points. By the time O’Kelly, Healy and Jennings came on, Leinster were frantically defending a 10-6 scoreline and had survived a television match official decision. From that moment, the home side owned the pill and actually wasted numerous opportunities to finish the contest.

Jonno Gibbs will have been unimpressed by the nature of Leinster’s forward play, and despite the afforementioned excellent defending, Leinster did fall off too many tackles. The suspected broken arm of Isa Nacewa will also cause nightmares for the head coach, although the former Auckland Blue did produce an indifferent display.

Without doubt, however, the biggest concern will have been the lack of territory and possession. We can only assume Nacewa’s over use of the boot is a coaching decision in light of the new ELVs, but the errant display didn’t help the home team. Elsewhere, Shane Horgan again looks fit for the AIL only, and for the second game this season, the back row was overshadowed by the opposition.

The Ospreys are a talented operation, and as James Hook grew into the game, despite having an incompetent scrum inside him, gaps began to appear in the Leinster rear guard, with Lee Byrne and Tommy Bowe finding plenty of space.

But their inability to transform a powerful scrum into anything other than a few bragging rights was crushing. Late in the first half, the Ospreys had numerous chances to collect their first try, but each time poor decisions hurt them, and the Leinster defense kept them at bay.

Both sides were at the mercy of some comic refereeing from Nigel Owens. Last week, Edinburgh were on the receiving end, but on Friday, Leinster were lashed by the Welshman. The dizzying amount of knock-ons going un-noticed frustrated players and fans alike.

Massive improvment is needed in the weeks ahead, especially with Munster showing some real invention in the backs. A tough outing will have done them some good, and with another weekend out of the way, attention now focuses on the battle between the kings of the alcoholic beers.

Player Ratings:

Girvan Dempsey: Another solid outing but too little is being offered in attack. Can’t help feeling Dempsey will only start a Heineken Cup opener if others continue to play below their expected levels. 7

Shane Horgan: Hopes of a rejunvination were spectacularly shot down by the man himself. Stupid mistakes like kicks out on the full are his only contributions of late. Offered nothing of purpose. 5

Brian O’Driscoll: Leinster’s lack of possession meant O’Driscoll was nullified going forward, and a few missed tackles will be a conern. Limped off with the game won. He’ll need the nine days rest before the Munster show hits town. 6

Felipe Contepomi: An integral part of Leinster’s glorious try that had 15,000 people purring. Missed a few tackles though, and the way the Ospreys midfield found gaps at the 10-12 channel was worrying. Played some decent football though. 6

Luke Fitzgerald: Will get the plaudtis for that wonderful try in which he and Contepomi played a few one two’s taking out five Ospreys defenders. Like O’Driscoll, the lack of ball meant for a frustrating evening, and he had to tackle a lot more than he would have hoped for. 7

Isa Nacewa: A real mixed bag of a performance. 2 sweet drop goals and a number of sything breaks, but whilst his kicking game can reap rewards, all too often it is possession lost when Leinster need the ball. Suspected broken arm could signal a return for the hapless Sexton. 6

Chris Whitaker: Sound leadership was essential in the middle third of the game, but a malfunctioning scrum caused him headaches all night. Didn’t help the cause by delaying too often in possession and made half-breaks that he shouldn’t. 5

Ronnie McCormack: Part of a scrum had creaked and buckled all night. McCormack looks to have regained full fitness and was surprised to be called ashore. Leinster’s ability to hold on to the win was in part due to his exit. 5

Bernard Jackman: Took the man of the match award in a non vintage display from Leinster. One line out lost was his sole misadventure, although, not a prominent around the park as usual. 7

Stan Wright: Wonderful ball carrying skills for a prop and we were given his full repetoire of off-laods in the second half. Struggled in the scrum and gave away a couple of penalities. Big performance needed next week. 7

Leo Cullen: In truth, the new captain was probably Leinster’s best player. Stirling start to the season, and Leinster were indebted to his leadership in tough times. 7

Devin Toner: Found life easy against Cardiff and Edinburgh but looked too light against a physically robust Ospreys pack. Will make way for O’Kelly next week. 6

Cameron Jowitt: Average performance in a faltering back row. Will more than likely hold onto his place next week due to Elsom’s recent travels. 6

Sean O’Brien: The second alteration that saved the day for Leinster was Jennings early in the second half. O’Brien is a massive talnt but is still raw at this level. Will need to improve his handling but his usual array of huge hits and tackle bursting was fairly entertaining. 6

Jamie Heaslip: Game three were the fulcrum of the Leinster 8 has not been on his brilliant best. For many, alarm bells are about to ring. 6

Substitutions:

John Fogerty: Not on long enough to rate.

Cian Healy: From being helped backwards at the opponents’ pleasure, Leinster’s set piece looked decidely more comfortable once the Clontarf man came on. Admittely, the Ospreys scrum had suffered a number of injuries. 7

Malcolm O’Kelly: Another good game. Will definately start next week. 7

Shane Jennings: This author has been Jennings’ biggest critic, but on Friday night he was wonderful. Prehaps the catalyst for the Leinster win. One massive turn over immediately after replacing O’Brien set the tone for a great cameo. 7

Stephen Keogh: Not on long enough to rate.

Rob Kearney: It could be argued he was the most at fault for the Ospreys bonus point. Too often he goes for a big smash instead of just making the tackle count. 6